Sealed With a Kiss
by Machlassie
Summary: Miss Taki, every kindergarteners' favorite teacher, had what one would consider a "perfect" life. But beneath the surface lies an ugly truth that has begun to rear its head after the local police discover a body on the outskirts of town. Is the lovely Taki related to this victim's tragic death? Leave it to Detective Inspector Heishiro Mitsurugi to unravel the case! (Modern Day)
1. Chapter I: Birthday Soiree

**Sealed With a Kiss**

**Chapter One: Birthday Soiree**

It was a sight that would have made any other person cringe - and possibly empty their stomachs of their breakfast - but to Heishiro Mitsurugi, this scene was just another job. Sure, he pitied the young lady - the years she had left - but he had come to see these as a reminder of cruel reality. Everyone was fated to die at one point or another; some departing more peacefully than others, but regardless of how one left this world, the result was the same in the end. Perhaps it was this thought that had hardened him throughout his career as he adopted the phrase, "don't get attached."

Gently pushing his way through the clean-up crew, as he had come to refer to them as, Heishiro approached the scene of the crime and stared nonchalantly at the body resting among the bushes and shrubbery. It was unfortunate that the bugs had found her before they had as it made recognition an even more difficult task. Though Mitsurugi knew that he shouldn't be complaining as that wasn't particularly his problem – the identity crisis usually fell to the pathologist.

Many believed that the pathologist and mortician had the short end of the stick in all this crime-solving business, but through Heishiro's eyes, his job may be the most emotionally draining. He was responsible for walking through the last moments of his clients' lives; relive their feelings during their moments of betrayal or misfortune. His duty was to solve what happened to the nameless person and bring justice to them.

Bending down, Heishiro took a closer look at the pale corpse, left to rot and be forgotten, he took note of the dried blood that had leaked out from her neck and confirmed that to be the cause of death. If there was any bright side to this crime, it would be that she died quickly.

"What do you think?" It was the voice of his fellow pathologist, Goto Fujita, which had interrupted his thoughts.

Heishiro straightened himself and turned to face the older man who had, as much as he hated to admit it, adopted the role of a father figure throughout the years they had spent together. "About what," he grunted back, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

"Anything, really." Fujita responded back, peeking over the detective's shoulder to the dismal sight behind him.

Heishiro followed his gaze back to the corpse and studied the hollow, sunken face of the victim. Even when she was only weeks from being nothing but a skeleton, he could tell that before her life had been cruelly stolen from her, she was once beautiful and young. It was very uncommon that a young lady's disappearance would go unnoticed; especially in this small town. "Have we searched the missing persons list?"

"I've already got your sergeant on the task. But…it's been just over an hour and he has yet to report back to me with any news."

"Figures..." Heishiro grumbled. One thing he had come to learn about his job is that things had a knack for being more difficult than they ought to be. Even the simplest of things, such as a name to a face, liked to be a pain in the ass.

"But," Fujita added with a goofy grin, "We did find something that could help in our investigation." With a latex-covered hand, the pathologist presented a plastic baggy; the contents within being a single rectangular piece of paper.

Had Mitsurugi been in the mood, he would've given the old man an earful for keeping evidence from him. But instead he snatched the card from him, grumbling incoherent mutterings along the way before ultimately studying the card through the clear material.

He didn't plan for it to be a calling card; such things were too cliché and even if it were to be performed, it would only be done so by a wannabe, a desperate soul seeking attention. And, glancing down at the body before him, he doubted whomever committed this crime was an amateur. But just as he discarded the idea, upon further inspection of the item, his eyes came upon an important detail.

It was a name, written in black ink, which had captured his attention. To him, it was nothing more than another lead, but little did he know, this one name would change his life forever…

~XxxxxxxxX~

"Surprise!" The voice of over a dozen kids shattered the eerie silence as a long-legged, raven-haired beauty flipped on the lights to her assigned classroom. Placing a well-manicured, slender hand over her well-endowed chest, the woman looked over the scene revealed to her. Desks, which were once set in an orderly fashion, had been pushed aside in order to create a pathway from the doorway to a group of similarly dressed schoolchildren each hiding behind a long banner; said banner being decorated by no one but.

Feigning shock, the lovely lady asked, "What is this?" Though the question was asked, she knew the answer quite well. As if she didn't know of the whispers being passed among her children about a certain "surprise party."

Like a group of puppies excited to see their master's return, the schoolchildren raced towards their teacher, all of them wishing to wrap their arms around her at once. Gracing them with her eye smile, she bent down to their heights as they all called out their happy birthday wishes. Of course with twenty children each trying to speak at once, the most she could decipher was a little bit of this and that, but that didn't fail to bring a smile to her beautiful lips.

"So this is all for me," she asked, looking over the faces of all her children. She watched their heads bob up and down, affirming her presumption. Reaching her hand out, she patted the nearest child, a chubby little boy, atop the head and whispered lovingly, "What amazing children I have…"

So caught up in the moment, the teacher failed to notice the new arrival to their classroom. "So this is all the raucous I've been hearing." Disrupting the precious moment was an elder's voice, a voice that the children and teacher recognized as the voice on the intercom.

"Ah, Mr. Toki," the teacher said, turning around to face their latest company.

The old man, sturdy and tall from years of his past profession, took one look at the fairytale-like scene before him and chuckled. "A birthday party for Miss Taki? And you kids did this all by yourselves?" He asked the children, passing them a wink in return. Catching his little wink, Taki raised an eyebrow but kept silent.

The kids nodded excitedly before taking their teacher and guiding her to the back of the classroom where a table of assorted treats, plasticware, a large cake, and a few wrapped gifts sat. Taki had expected a little surprise party from her children, but she hadn't expected all of this. Passing a mischievous glance towards the older man, she whispered, "As much faith as I have in my children, I do find it hard to believe they could do this all by themselves…"

Toki shrugged his buff shoulders. "You'd be amazed at the potential children carry. Besides, they do have you as a teacher, my dear daughter."

Ignoring his latest statement, Taki shook her head before shifting her attention back to her class. "So who's going to help me cut the cake?"

~XxxxxxxxX~

As the little party ended with the school day, Taki, after having bid goodbye to all her children, prepared to leave for her apartment, her arms full of the unopened gifts her class had left her. However, as if she didn't have enough to carry on the trek home, Toki stopped her at the doorway to present her with a gift of his own.

Judging by the trench coat he was wrapped in, Taki could see he was on his way home as well. "Don't forget this one," he said, slipping the little item on top of the pile she had.

"Toki," Taki began in a lecturing tone, "you didn't have to do all that…"

The old man chuckled, ignoring her statement. "You still insist on calling me by my first name even after all these years?" Not allowing her to explain, he held up his hand to silence her. "Just take it, my child. And have a happy birthday…" With that said, he gave her a nod and walked off towards his sleek black car.

Normally one would have offered a ride but Toki knew the teacher well enough to know she enjoyed the walk back home. _"The scenery is much better when not viewed behind tinted windows," _were the words she had told him the first time he had offered her his passenger's seat. Just like he did all those years ago, he chuckled to himself as he strapped himself in and turned on the ignition; driving off towards the setting sun.

Having returned home to her luxurious little apartment, Taki, after having enjoyed a warm bath, settled down in her armchair, still wrapped in only her bathrobe, and began opening up the presents. Most of the gifts consisted of books, lotions, and shampoos, all of which she found to her liking, while others had handmade cards and jewelry which she found she loved even more. Eventually she reached the last item on her pile which happened to be the gift Toki, her father figure, had made for her.

It was possible it was another book from the size, but Taki sensed that that wasn't what was lurking within the velvet red wrapping. Gently peeling away the sheet hiding the present, she found herself looking at a picture of herself among her kids. From the cherry blossoms that fell in the background, she could tell it was an earlier picture taken just after the new school year started. Recalling the day displayed in the frame, she remembered telling herself at that moment that this would be the start of the happiest moments of her life.

And indeed they were.

She had found a home and a family; two things she would have never thought she'd ever have growing up as that lonely orphan girl. And along with those, she, apparently, even gained a birthday.

Looking down at the faces that smiled back up at her, she gave a melancholic smile. With gentle fingers she traced the image that portrayed, frozen in time, the day she came to life…

**A/N: Just a quick little chappie to introduce the setting and give a little bit of background about our heroine. I've never done an "alternate universe" story before, but I thought it would be fun and would be a good break from following the rules. Hopefully you, my fellow readers, enjoy it and despite my tight schedule (especially now that the holidays are here), I'll try to stay up-to-date on this for I intend to keep chapters shorter in comparison to chapters of previous stories. Thanks for reading and have a happy holiday!**


	2. Chapter II: Call I Ever Wanted

**Chapter II: Call I Ever Wanted**

"Taki, Taki, Taki..." Driving through the deserted midnight streets of Niihama, Heishiro Mitsurugi unknowingly tapped his steering wheel in an impatient manner as he repeated the name written on the card that was discovered just over twelve hours ago. There were many possibilities as to what it could be: an acronym, the murderer, the victim, the next target, or even a distraction. Yet, even if it were a meaningless word meant only to throw him off, being that it was the only lead the investigation team had, Heishiro had no choice but to treat it as anything but. Not only that, but after working on the force for just over three years now, he had come to learn that it was very rare for any killer, be it amateur or pro, to use such tactics to throw off their pursuers. It would be simply easier – and safer – to leave nothing at all.

With his head filled with nothing but material containing to the current case, Heishiro eventually made it home to his little apartment which had, over the course of his career, become his second office. He ambled up to the fourth floor of the building, ignoring any of his neighbors who had passed him on the way, until the door leading into his designated home was before him. As he had done for the past years, he turned the knob and as usual, was greeted with the sight of his dark apartment and the scent of stale cigarettes.

Without the need for any source of light, he made his way through his living room, instinctively dodging any obstacles that may be in the way until he reached his kitchen counter. There, he switched on the light switch, bringing life to the dismal room, and turned his attention to his phone, dusty from days of neglect, and took note of the beeping red button. Groaning inwardly, he wanted to ignore it, knowing the persons who insisted on calling him, but found himself pressing the button anyway.

"_You have five new messages," _the female answering machine told him. "_Press—" _She was cut off as Mitsurugi had beaten her to the punch; pushing down the "1" button to replay all his messages. As the first recording went off, a message about his non-existent credit debt, Heishiro began walking about his living room, throwing his coat off onto his armchair and grabbing the stack of unread letters sitting on his coffee table.

Just as he was flipping through his bills and coupons, the second message began; this one being from an actual person.

"_Heishiro," _the female voice started off, _"it's Setsuka…I tried calling you earlier, but you didn't answer. I know I'm being impatient – telling you this over an answering phone – but…I got the job. I'm excited to hear back from you. Love you…"_

As the phone moved on to the next message, Heishiro paid it no mind as the last two words of Setsuka's recording replayed in his mind. Love you…? Heishiro found it hard for him to swallow those words. Setsuka was a woman he had come upon during one of his investigations. Her father was the victim in the case, murdered by poison, and although everyone pointed the finger at her, it was Heishiro who was the only one who had any faith in her. Through sheer work and determination, he had unraveled the case and with the correct evidence, the court was able to give her a "Not Guilty" verdict.

Since then, they had been attending a few lunches and dinners together, and even, to Heishiro's regret, shared a night together. She was a beautiful woman, that he couldn't deny, but the feelings she had for him, they weren't mutual. The idea of spending his life with her, or anyone for that matter, created feelings of uncertainty and brought about an uncomfortable air. Though cliché, Heishiro honestly had to admit that it truly wasn't _her, _but _him. _He would much rather spend the remainder of his life alone, just as he has for the last nine years; the only company he needed being his reports and worn down furniture.

Hence the reason why he always failed to respond to Setsuka's advances. He wanted to push her away, give her the sense that he didn't want her without saying it upfront. But from what he heard through office rumors, some women actually like the kind of men that gave off that aloof air. Was that why she insisted on pursuing their relationship that Heishiro had long flushed down the toilet?

As thoughts of Setsuka ran through his mind, the last message stole his attention as a shy, gentle voice echoed through the apartment. It was the voice of the one woman he had allowed into his life. _"Good morning, Heishiro…It's Ai…It's been a while since I last heard from you. I hope you're doing well and not overdoing it as usual. I really miss you and wish I could see you again, but I know how busy you are…Don't forget to give us a call once in a while; it would be nice to hear your voice again. Goodbye."_

"Ai…" Heishiro repeated the name of his caller and rose to his feet, his legs instinctively carrying him to the phone. He picked up the receiver and prepared to dial in a number, but stopped when his eyes caught sight of the time displayed on the device.

_1:47… _She was long asleep by now, and interrupting her in the middle of her night was the last thing he wanted to do. Besides, he thought, replacing the receiver back onto its designated spot, what was he going to say?

Sighing, he stepped away from the phone and returned to his sofa where he found his cigarettes and lighter sitting in wait. Without a second thought, he lighted one up and leaned back, letting the cushion absorb him. For the first time today, his mind wasn't filled with the bloody, pale images of an unfortunate young lady or the name "Taki" as he thought of Ai, his one last source of happiness in his dreary life. And how did she claim such a title? By being his little sister.

~XxxxxxxxX~

It was well beyond midnight, the clock nearing just a quarter past two, yet Toki, seated in his armchair beside the hearth, showed no signs of descending into a night of peaceful dreams. Beside him sat a steaming mug of bitter black coffee which he occasionally took a sip from as his eyes roamed the pages of a journal he held between his fingers. Within the pages his eyes skimmed were the writings of a young girl who grew up watching the world from behind a foggy window.

Through her journal, the young girl recalled the day she saw her mother's body hanging from the ceiling and the moment it was driven away after it was wrapped in a plastic bag. She recalled the days after, the days in which all she had left was her father. The scent of cigarettes, the clanking of beer bottles and the voices of unrecognizable men were the things she associated with those days as the stench and sounds accompanied her to sleep every night.

But gradually, her rowdy nights began to decrease as her father began to disappear unannounced for one to two days a week. In time, his absences increased until at last, his appearance was no longer a commodity in his own household. With her father having been gone for just over two weeks, the men in uniform finally arrived at her house and without a word to the girl they took her from her home and deposited her into an orphanage.

Her caretakers, though kind and loving to the other orphans, kept her hidden from the world and excluded her from the other children - her very presence being a threat to them. Yearning to be with the others, she watched them through her bedroom window, imagining that she was in their circle; throwing that ball with them or joining them in their game of tag.

Her voice stolen from her after years of abuse and neglect, the power of words, the chance to vocalize the feelings within her heart, were out of her grasp. So she revealed her heart's agony through pen and paper.

All her years of loneliness, sadness, and confusion were recorded in the book Toki held.

"Even after all these years..." He whispered, as he traced the floral imprints on the leather cover, "You still cling to this grudge of yours...?"

There was a rustle from the corner of the room where the firelight failed to reach and from it stepped a shadowy figure that could only be distinguished as a human. Due to poor lighting, very little of his features could be pointed out, though it seemed Toki knew the man quite well regardless.

"Unlike the rest of this world," the stranger's icy cold voice spoke, "my head isn't filled with clouds and rainbows. I don't simply brush off the things I don't want to deal with."

"Instead," Toki responded, "you're driven mad by them. You've spent your entire life planning your vengeance; hunting a man who's been dead for years. When will you realize that no matter what you do, no matter whose life you take, what happened all those years can never be altered?"

There was a dark chuckle that emanated from the mysterious figure. "You're right," his icy voice agreed, "Killing one person will never revive those I've lost nor will they bring back my childhood...But my actions aren't for the past, they are for the sake of the future. Everyone I have and will kill, are all guilty of their crimes and with their deaths, this nation is one step closer to being a better place."

Toki looked back down at the book in his hands, thinking of the little girl that once held the same book in her's, and narrowed his eyes, that, despite his years of life, have failed to age. "You try to justify murder, claiming that it's for the betterment of the people, but I know your true intentions. Why else would you be targeting Taki when she knows nothing of her family's history?"

There was an eerie silence that followed, broken seconds later by the shadow's empty tone. "The sins of her father...Since he failed to atone for them, they've become her burden. You can't expect all of his crimes to simply go unpunished by his death, do you? Someone has to pay..."

"And how is that just?" Toki was finding it hard to control his anger as he realized how hard he was gripping the journal.

"You tell me."

Very quickly, Toki's rage diminished at the man's three little words that, with prior knowledge of the man's history, held a whole textbook of meanings. "You've made a mistake coming here tonight then," he digressed, "Because I'm not going to let you touch her."

Judging by his shadow's movements, the mysterious man was shaking his head while gentle "tsk, tsk, tsk"'s could be heard. "Do not worry Toki because she's not the one I plan to kill..." He reached into the pocket of his coat and retrieved an object. As he held it outwards, the firelight revealed it to be a pistol holding .40 caliber rounds. Aiming the end at the back of the principal's head, he gave a devilish smirk. "At least not yet..."

BANG!

~XxxxxxxxX~

Startled awake by an unsettling dream, Taki, clutching her chest, sat upright in her bed and shifted her eyes to the clock that illuminated the time.

3:00. She still had three hours left before she would have to wake up and get ready. Propping her elbow up on her bent knee, she began to massage her temple as she tried to recall the last time she had had such a vivid dream. Placing her hand back down on the mattress beside her, she felt something amiss and immediately shifted her eyes to her side. So that was it!

With a gasp of realization, she got onto her hands and knees and began crawling over her bed, feeling her way through the blankets and covers as she tried to find the cure to her nightmares. A mysterious lump on the floor caught her eye and, knowing full well what this lump was, Taki, with an outstretched hand, snatched up the object and reeled it into her arms.

The moonlight sneaking into her bedroom revealed it to be a stuffed brown moose, its fur made of the softest material to resemble sheep's wool. Looking down at the button eyes that looked back up at her, Taki almost chuckled at her childishness. She knew not her age, but she doubted she was young enough to be sleeping with a stuffed animal.

Leaning back down onto her pillow, she pulled the moose up against her chest as one would a precious child and shut her eyes, taking in the scent of the doll she held. It smelled of chocolate as its makers had taken the term "chocolate mousse" a little too literally. She was surprised that the scent had remained even after all these years.

The moose seemed to have the power to ward off bad dreams as Taki failed to recall the last time she suffered a nightmare with the doll at her side. Toki had learned of this odd habit of hers and chuckled at her silliness.

"_Honestly Taki. The way you sleep with that toy of yours, I fear your husband will grow envious of it." He had told her._

"_Then I will not marry for I don't see myself getting rid of it anytime soon."_

_He shook his head and shrugged his wide shoulders. "I f I knew you'd become so attracted to it, I don't think I would have ever given it to you."_

Taki smiled as she recalled their conversation. Maybe that was why she loved her chocolate "moose" so much; it was the second gift her father had given her. The first, of course, being one she loved even more…

Her life.

~XxxxxxxxX~

The bullet ricocheted off the mantle as Toki ducked just before the metal was given the opportunity to strike his cranium. Though conscious of the weapon aimed at him, he didn't think the man was willing to fire. Fortunately his nerves reacted quicker than his mind as it just saved his life.

"Damn…" he grumbled reaching underneath his coffee table. Strapped to the bottom of the tabletop was a gun which he was able to retrieve just milliseconds before the intruder had rounded the sofa and stood before him.

Frozen in time, the two men gazed at each other, both pointing a gun at the other. The man from the shadows, dressed in a well-tailored dark suit, narrowed his eyes at the older man he had on the ground. "You dare point a gun at me? After all you've put me through?" Though almost undetectable through all the ice, Toki was able to hear a falter in his voice…A tinge of pain.

With a well-glossed shoe, the man kicked the gun from Toki's hand before landing that same foot down against the principal's chest. "My next bullet won't miss, Toki," he whispered, the end of the gun looking down at his adversary. "Any words you'd wish for me to pass onto Taki?"

Toki's life, a life made of a colorful background, flashed before his eyes. Much, to his dismay, were events filled with unearned wealth, greed, blood, and death. Piles upon piles of those images played themselves out, but among the many horrible images was the smile of a little girl. The little girl he had saved from a life of endless misery and made into a full-fledged woman. The image of her smiling face faded to be replaced by the man's hovering above him.

Had he not saved Taki that fateful day, taken her under his wing, would her eyes be as soulless as this man's? Would it be her hovering over him, one trigger away from ending his life?

"There are many things I regret in my life," Toki started out slowly, "But my biggest regret is being unable to save you…"

The man narrowed his gaze, sensing the sincerity in the old man's tone. "Meaningless words spoken years too late…" He whispered sadly, slowly bringing the trigger down…

~XxxxxxxxX~

Though it ended with a bang, the man had hardly noticed the moment of Toki's death. Everything was silent for him as he gazed at Toki's body, limp and lifeless as blood soaked his white button-up and seeped into the carpeting; staining it with a dark red color. The bullet had pierced straight through his heart, ending his life almost instantly and painlessly.

It was the best goodbye gift he could think to offer the only man who had ever cared for him…

**A/N: Merry Christmas (Eve) my readers! I apologize for the lack of Mitsurugi and Taki in this chapter. And for the random chocolate "moose" doll, that is in fact a real doll my father gave to me and in incorporating it into my story, I thought I would better recreate Taki's feelings as we both love our fathers' gift to us for more than the reason that it's a freaking cute/awesome stuffed animal. (And yes, it does smell like chocolate.) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thanks for the kind reviews. Looking forward to seeing you in the New Year!**


	3. Chapter III: Delight at First Sight

**Chapter III: Delight at First Sight**

His plans to call Ai back were brought an abrupt halt with the discovery of a second body. Called to the scene in the wee hours of the morning, Heishiro had hardly any time to change out of yesterday's clothing, which he had carelessly fallen asleep in, and give himself a much needed shower, before he was stepping out to his car. Admittedly it wasn't the most glamorous of vehicles, neither old nor new, but its presence was made infamous by the locals. Whenever the black Mercedes drove by, it was only a sign that death had made its appearance.

Slipping into the driver's seat, Heishiro took a look at his gas gauge and inwardly groaned. It was half empty and with the rate he was using this vehicle, he was bound to last only three more days. But along with that, the red arrow pointing downwards played as a reminder to the current budget cut the force was going through. With a rise in criminal activity as of late, they brought in a new crew of officers to help with minor offenses; giving the professionals time to focus on more important crimes.

With more paychecks to hand out, the smaller the shares became. Heishiro was a man of little needs and had no one but himself to look after, but he wouldn't mind having a little spending money after all the bills have been paid off.

Grumbling, he ignited the engine and shifted gears. Regardless of how little or how much he was getting paid, Heishiro didn't see himself backing out of his career choice anytime soon. Sometimes it seemed solving crimes was the only thing he was good at.

~XxxxxxxxX~

If the flashing police lights, media vehicles, and yellow tape weren't an indicator that he had arrived at the correct location, then Mitsurugi surely had a knack for stumbling upon dead bodies. After dropping his car off a few feet from the police barricade, he flashed his badge to the policeman in charge and managed only one step over the yellow line before he was stopped by a familiar voice.

"Heishiro?"

Frowning as he recognized who the owner of the voice was, he reluctantly, and regrettably, turned around. A gorgeous blonde suited in a white blouse and lavender pencil skirt stood before him, a hopeful smile planted on her peachy lips. "I should have known that you'd be involved," she whispered, shaking her head. "Do you ever get a break?"

Setsuka was the last person he had expected to come across when he was called in. And now, after so many unreturned phone calls and lame excuses preventing their meeting, Heishiro found himself with his hand midway in the cookie jar. "Uh, yeah," he began bluntly, searching his mind for the correct words. "But what are you doing here?"

Setsuka's lovely face displayed a look of shock for a brief second before fixating itself. "I take it you didn't get my message."

"Message?"

He thought back to last night when he had cleared his answering his machine and while he mainly recalled Ai's voice speaking to him, he did vaguely remember Setsuka's message she had left him. Unfortunately, the subject of said message had completely left his mind as the shuddering words of "love you" was all he associated with it. But after being a detective inspector for the past three years, Heishiro was good at deducing and even better at lying.

"Yeah," he continued gruffly, "I got it. And… good job." Hoping that this would be the end of this awkward, unexpected meeting, Heishiro got his second leg over the plastic barricade and prepared to finally head into the mighty house; his skin prickling with excitement at the thought of looking over the new-found crime scene. However, the blonde journalist wasn't ready to let him go yet as she gripped his mighty bicep, startling him, but also stopping him in his tracks.

"Perhaps we can share some dinner tonight?"

Gently freeing his arm from her grip, he whispered back, "We'll see…"

~XxxxxxxxX~

Upon entering the house, Heishiro was forced into a pair of coveralls to prevent any contamination of the crime scene. Taking his sweet time heading to the lounge where the crime occurred, Mitsurugi got caught up admiring the interior of the house. If the size of the house wasn't enough to put someone in awe and envy, then all it took was one step inside. It felt as if he were walking into a castle out of a fairytale what with the marble floors, massive chandelier, and miscellaneous items that would cost well over Heishiro's yearly income to pay off. Whoever this victim was, he was definitely doing well for himself.

Once the spiral staircase was traversed, the fairytale feeling the dwelling emitted was suddenly tainted as the detective's eye immediately caught sight of the ominous lump on the floor sitting in the tidy room. It didn't take a genius to know that underneath the forensic team's rubber sheet was the body of an unfortunate soul. However, there was no time to pity the dead as Mitsurugi was pushed headlong into working mode as Goto Fujita approached him.

"I see you made it past the cameras," the old man greeted, motioning outside the window where below them was the massive crowd that had, within the few short minutes it had taken for Mitsurugi to enter the house, grown in size. It made him wonder why one person's death had raised such publicity.

"Barely," he grumbled, recalling his little conversation with Setsuka. He walked over to the concealed body of the victim and as he hovered over it, he asked, "Anybody special under there?"

The old man shook his head. "Nope. Just an old feller by the name of Toki Matsumoto; principal of a grade school, single," he responded, flipping through his yellow notes.

Upon hearing this, Mitsurugi near snarled. What was the point of hiring a new cast of officers when they still put the responsibility of solving every murder on his shoulders? Still, with every body he stumbled upon, there came a curiosity that couldn't be piqued by any other emotion he had. To know the how and why the victim was as he is, those are the reasons why he found himself peeling away the layers hiding the body; unveiling the unfortunate man to his eyes.

The sight laid out before him wasn't near as gruesome as some of the others Heishiro had come across though it was bloody. The victim was dressed in a white button-up, now cruelly stained by his own gore, and a pair of black slacks. Though his face showed signs of an older age, his head was still just as full as Mitsurugi's; the color just as dark. Despite living in a house that was donned with unnecessary expensive items, the man wore no such thing as a watch ring or ring to display his wealth. A humble man, Mitsurugi assumed.

"Cause of death," the detective asked coolly.

"A bullet straight through the heart," Fujita responded back. "Death was instantaneous."

Lifting his eyes from the pale corpse before him, Mitsurugi took a look around the orderly room which played as the crime scene and took note of a very faint scent of…coffee. Following his nose he found, sitting untouched on a small round side table, a coffee mug, and beside that was a withered old journal. Ignoring the journal, Heishiro focused on the caffeinated drink. "What was the time of death?"

"Around one to three in the morning. We won't know for sure however until we get a closer look at the body. Though there aren't signs of it yet, we're assuming this to be the work of a well-trained thief."

Fujita watched Heishiro rise to his feet and approach the coffee mug. As he stared at the black liquid that nearly filled the cup, he shook his head. "Wrong."

"Pardon?"

"You say this man was murdered only hours after midnight by some thief. But take a good look at him." As Fujita glanced down at the cadaver, Heishiro continued with his assumption. "He's dressed for work even though it's past twelve."

Fujita shrugged. "You of all people should know about late night work."

"Do you see any work around you?" The man grunted back.

The old man gave the room a quick look over and, as the younger man stated, not a single piece of paper that indicated any signs of work was to be found. The room was spotless of any such items aside from the journal, but there wasn't even a pen for writing in sight. "So what are you saying?"

"Not much people stay up until three in the morning, dressed for a meeting, to write in a crummy journal," he replied, crossing out the only other explanation he could think of as to why the man had stayed up so late. "He was waiting for someone."

"On the dot as usual, Heishiro." A deeper voice spoke from the doorway. Turning his head, Mitsurugi was met with the face of the detective chief – his superior – Shiro Saito. Questioned on many occasions if the DI was his son due to their similar appearances, Shiro was the newly crowned chief of the Niihama Police Department. On a regular basis he had an approachable personality, though he was not one to be tempered with.

"What are you doing here," Mitsurugi asked bluntly, rising to his feet after covering the body once again. It was uncommon to see the chief himself doing field work.

"To lessen some stress from your mind," the chief responded calmly. "I'm sure you've been wondering why you were called to this case, haven't you? Let me show you." With strong, precise steps reminiscent of those in military positions, Saito strode to the end table where the coffee sat and plucked up the journal Heishiro had temporarily forgotten of and flipped through it. When the desired page was found he displayed it to his subordinate. "Look here."

Though the pencil writing was faded, the words were still legible. Mitsurugi didn't know what he should be looking for until Saito landed his index finger to a word that had been haunting him since yesterday. The name "Taki" was scrawled on the paper; the same name that had been left on the cardstock evidence.

"Fujita informed me of the evidence your team acquired from yesterday's search, so when I dug through this journal earlier, I couldn't help but notice the name. I know you don't believe in coincidence, so I did some research for you. As I'm sure Fujita has told you, Toki Matsumoto was a school principal. Taking a look at the school's staff, I found out that a 'Taki Mujakina' was employed there as a kindergarten teacher." With that said, he unveiled a photo of a young woman.

Heishiro stared at the photo offered to him with suspicion. It wasn't often that the chief was going out of his way to help in a case when he had an overflowing pile of paperwork to attend to back at headquarters. And why the sudden curiosity in his affairs? Taking a look at the chief's face, he narrowed his eyes before accepting the picture. Whatever reason he had, Mitsurugi wasn't going to refuse any valuable information.

He held the photo up to eye level and took in the woman within. The picture, he assumed, was taken by a friend, a colleague perhaps, as it showed the woman seated at her desk, littered with paperwork, and as the cameraman made his presence known, she turned her head to pass them a gentle smile. Mitsurugi raised a curious eyebrow as he wondered what role, if any, she had in this tangle of crimes.

Pocketing the photo, he gave a nod to his superior. "I'll go look into it," he affirmed before heading back downstairs. If this woman was involved with their murders, he had not a second to spare in finding her. Every second counted in the race against crime.

Walking over the well-gardened lawn, now frosted over from last night's air, Mitsurugi looked over at the black car sitting in the gravel driveway and frowned. It was a newer version of his vehicle, unmarred and, from the looks of it, freshly waxed. It was a crime to watch such a wonderful car fade and age before being used to its fullest potential. Since his "clients" don't pay him for his hard work, perhaps they should make it a new rule that once a case is closed the detective responsible lays claim to one of the victim's possessions.

As he approached the wall of journalists that blocked him from his vehicle, unintimidated, Heishiro gave them a glare that, with the combination of his gruff features, told the many onlookers that he wasn't intending to speak a word. Like a herd of sheep, the crowd parted as he made his way through, but there was one stray animal that was unlike the others.

Standing in his way was Setsuka who had no intention of stepping aside for him. At least, not until she got the answers she wanted. "Heishiro…" She began to say until she was silenced by the DI's hands placing themselves on her shoulders.

"About the dinner...we'll have to cancel," Mitsurugi said as kindly as he could muster. "Sorry." Without another word, he gently pushed past her towards his car. He had another date tonight, one with a "Miss Taki."

~XxxxxxxxX~

For what seemed to be the seventh time this day, Taki felt for her phone and stole a quick peek at it; hoping that the screen would read that she had an unanswered phone call or message. But just like all the previous times, all she spotted was her floral wallpaper. Though she told herself he was simply running late, forgetting his cellphone back at home, there was an unshakable feeling that had taken root in her heart since waking from her nightmare last night. Biting her lip, she quickly tucked her phone back in the drawer of her desk before returning her attention back to her students who were patiently sitting in wait for their story.

Hiding her concern behind a well-formed smile, she joined her students on the dog-shaped carpet. "So what are we reading today," she asked as she straightened out her sleek black pencil skirt. A chubby boy with a gap-toothed smile extended a picture book with two bears, the bigger of the two holding a lantern, on the cover. "'Can't You Sleep, Little Bear?'" Taki repeated the title, her voice faltering for only a brief second as she said so. "What a...good choice..."

Gently flipping the cover over, careful not to damage the book any more than it already was, Taki began retelling the story that, if she recalled correctly, was the story she would hear through the walls and vents of the orphanage when bedtime approached. It was never read to her directly, but she listened nonetheless as the soothing voice of her caretaker was like a mother's.

As she read aloud to the toddlers, outside, a black Mercedes made its way into the parking lot and out stepped Heishiro. He took a look at the little school and instinctively began giving himself a pat-down as he searched for his pack of cigarettes. However, he stopped himself as he noticed the playground full of children that were oblivious to his arrival. Though he himself cared little of kids, he knew his little sister would disapprove greatly if he were to smoke before under aged rascals. Grumbling, he tossed the stash of cigarettes he had found back into his car and proceeded into the building.

He entered through the front doors as any civilized person ought to and approached the office secretary who was currently on her computer. With the hallways being as silent as it was, she noticed the scruffy detective straight away and greeted him with a practiced smile. "Hi there," she greeted him overexcitedly, "How are you today?"

Judging by the unnatural ginger blonde hair, sparkly pink nails, and the amount of makeup she wore, Mitsurugi considered her to be one of those "hip" and popular teenagers probably paving her way to college with the pocket change earned by working part time. He could deal with dead bodies, gore, and murderers, but when it came to the younger generation, such as this Natsu, as he read from the name plate on the counter, he never knew how to act. Scratching the back of his head, unable to meet the younger girl's eyes, he said, "I need to speak to a Miss…" Suddenly Taki's surname escaped his mind and rather than stand there appearing like a goon in front of this girl he finished with, "Taki."

The sudden pause had made the girl raise a curious eyebrow, but her confused look was quickly replaced by a devious smirk that caught Mitsurugi off-guard. "Miss Taki, eh?" The girl confirmed. "Well of course you can go see her. Though she never did tell me she had a lover…"

Natsu's sudden accusation left him gawking as he was handed a pin that read "visitor." He could easily deny the claim had it been spoken by someone of his age, but he knew little of how adolescents would respond to his rebuttal. It could end in a puddle of tears or a sea of laughter and judging by the energetic girl in front of him, it would most likely be the latter. Snatching the pin from her hands he grumbled as he began to storm out the office. "Her room's down the hall on the left," Natsu called after him, "Fourth door down!"

With the detective out of the room, Natsu returned her attention back to her screen which displayed a paused game of some sort of RPG and chuckled to herself as she went back to "work." "Who knew she had a thing for the scruffy type?" She muttered to herself.

~XxxxxxxxX~

Following that dreadful secretary's direction, Mitsurugi found himself before a decorated door that was decorated with the word "Welcome!" He gently pulled the hefty door open and took a peek in. The classroom was just as he imagined a kindergarten room to appear. Colors of all kinds decorated the walls and there was a corkboard dedicated to crude drawings. Mitsurugi scoffed, knowing of a better place for such "art." The trash can. When his eyes finished scanning the decor, his eyes went to the group of children sitting on an oddly shaped carpet; all of them, to Heishiro's surprise, silent as they listened to the lone adult's voice.

Looking over the dozen of round heads, Mitsurugi spotted the supposed Miss Taki, the owner of said voice, and instinctively began taking in her appearance. For her clothes, she chose to dress in a short sleeved blouse with a waist-high skirt, suspenders looping themselves over her slender shoulders – classy and professional. Her hair, unlike in the picture he had stashed in his breast pocket, cascaded down her back like an inky pool. As for her face, he couldn't quite get a good look as she had her nose in a book.

She appeared focused as she read, the squeak of the door opening having gone unnoticed by her. Though one to prefer silent atmospheres, Mitsurugi had to admit that she had a pretty soothing voice; so much so that he found himself unable to interrupt the trance she had put all the children in.

~XxxxxxxxX~

Although her mouth spoke words, Taki's mind paid little attention to them as the concern she had for Toki's whereabouts were becoming overwhelming. But for her children's sake, she refused to show it, hoping that her concerns would be erased when his figure would appear at the doorway. As the thought occurred, she instinctively peeked up to look at the classroom exit and, to her shock, someone was indeed standing there.

Staring wide-eyed at the visitor, Taki felt her heart begin to beat rapidly as she took in his features. Dressed head to toe in black casual business attire, his image and timed appearance seemed so familiar. It was as if she was reliving a moment, and though her mind didn't remember from which memory the familiarity derived from, her heart did. She felt as if she were facing the grim reaper …

~XxxxxxxxX~

When she had suddenly looked up from her book, the two had made eye contact and Mitsurugi found himself unable to peel his eyes away. She was definitely the woman in the photo, but when looking at her now, he realized she had a beauty that couldn't be captured by a mere camera. She was like a doll with her perfect features from the silky hair, perfectly placed almond shaped eyes, and well-formed lips. Normally he would scold himself for finding a possible murder suspect so enchanting, but at the same time he feared what kind of man he would be if he didn't find her a little becoming. He was sure, if there were indeed angels up above, that even they would be jealous of her.

~XxxxxxxxX~

Carelessly letting the book drop from her fingers, Taki rose to her full height and whispered to her students, "Excuse me class…I…have to go talk to our guest…"

With small steps, she approached the detective, trying to keep a cool and confident demeanor about herself the entire way. However, it was hard to keep a straight face when she knew, from deep within, what this man had to say. "Can I help you," she forced out, unable to meet his gaze.

Mitsurugi looked down at the slightly shorter woman and narrowed his eyes. When watching her read to her children, he didn't want to believe that she was involved in these crimes. But now, seeing as how she was scared to meet him face-on, he naturally grew suspicious. "Can you look at me," he asked solemnly.

When she did so, he spotted the fearful look on her face and felt a twinge of guilt. Something inside of him told him not to hurt her, but the dominating detective side of him told him otherwise. Business was business, and he hadn't the time to wallow in remorse. "Yesterday, the body of a young lady was found on the outskirts of town," began slowly, "And then this morning, the head of this school, Toki Matsumoto, was found murdered." He watched her face pale before she gripped the wall to balance herself. "The connection between these two incidents is your name…"

He gave her a few seconds to let the information sink in before continuing. "You need to come with me. We have some questions to ask you down at the precinct."

Taki ears had stopped listening to him as unwelcomed, long suppressed memories came rushing back. No longer was she the twenty-something-year-old woman standing before a possible police officer, but a five-year-old girl standing against an army of men – her voice stolen from her.

~XxxxxxxxX~

"_Your daddy's gone, little girl," the suited man spoke, extending his hand. "You have to come with me now. I have some questions for you…"_

That man's face, once forgotten was now back… And as she gazed at Heishiro, she realized that this face was awfully similar to the one so many years ago…

**A/N: Ugh. No matter how much I edit, the ending to this chapter just can't go the way I want it. So before I go changing it up again for the twentieth time, I'm just going to finish it here, so sorry if it feels chunky and so to-the-point. I'm just excited to get to the next chapter and I hope you are too!**


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